The Line Between

 

 

 

 

 

THE LINE BETWEEN

A Novel

By Tamsyn Bester

THE LINE BETWEEN

 

Copyright © 2015 by Tamsyn Bester

Cover Design by © Sommer Stein, Perfect Pear Creative Covers

PHOTO COPYRIGHT © Toski Covey, Toski Covey Photography

Formatting by Max Henry of Max Effect

All rights reserved.

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/ use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

This eBook is licensed for your personal use only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to everyone who has ever felt inadequate, unloved, unappreciated, or invisible.

You.Are.Enough.

You.Are.Loved.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

 

This is always the toughest part of the book – no kidding – so I hope I don’t leave anyone out…

Firstly, I’d like to thank my family, who put up with my constant absence and grumpy disposition while I worked tirelessly to write this book. I know you don’t understand what I do, or how tough it is, but your support has always been appreciated.

To the phenomenal duo who made me a jaw-dropping cover. Toski and Sommer, I am so grateful for the amazing work that you do, and to be able to call you both friends. I FLOVE THIS COVER SO HARD. Sending you both smooches from South Africa.

To my amazing team of Beta readers – Shanora Williams, Heather Orgeron, Emma Mack, Summer Clark, Sirenda McNece, Michelle Davis Grad, Susan Davis Provorse, Becky Tilley, and Melissa Clark. I can’t thank you ladies enough for all the help and guidance you gave me – even though you all complained about not having much feedback. This book wouldn’t have been finished if it weren’t for the lot of you crawling up my butt for more chapters. Your belief in this story fueled mine; I love you all so dearly for loving my characters. <3 P.S Dane said we can all share him, but since he is my creation, I get first dibs ;)

To my editor, Emma Mack. We tag-teamed during this one, and I’m so grateful for everything you’ve done to help make this book the best it can be. Dane thanks you ;)

To my incredible publicist, Christine Stanley at The Hype PR – You have worked your butt off to help me spread the word about The Line Between, but nothing was more satisfying than hearing “I’m so damn proud of you”. I adore you – even if I have to share you with Kellie (love you Kell) – and firmly believe you were put on my path for a reason. (And said reason was more than to protect me from the hairy tits trolling Goodreads. Ha!) You are amazing at what you do, and am honored to be represented by someone so passionate about her authors and their books. LOVE YOU!

I would also like to thank Kellie Sheridan at Patchwork Press who assisted me with getting The Line Between onto Netgalley.

A very special thanks goes out to Sofie Hartley, who showed me kindness when I needed it most, and made the cover for Blurred Lines. THANK YOU lady, I have no words to express what your gesture meant to me <3

To all the bloggers – and holy sh** there were a lot of you! – who helped me share every teaser for The Line Between, and took the time to review it. THANK YOU. I will never forget it.

Finally, to my readers. You guys have made the late nights, and early mornings worth it. Every message, every share, every post – I saw all of it, and I’m humbled by the love and support from you all. I hope Dane and Kennedy were worth the wait.

A note from the Author

 

There are two things with regard to this book that I felt was necessary to point out before you read it. Firstly, the town in which this book is set is completely fictional and bares no resemblance to an actual town, it’s people, and it’s cultures or laws. Secondly, Dane is not a cowboy - #justsaying – nor do I make any reference to him being a cowboy. He’s a dirty talking alpha male who will make you hot and bothered one minute, and want to junk punch him the next. Trust me, I made him, I know exactly how you’ll feel about him ;)

That being said, the journey that this book took me on, and the journey I went on to finish this book are both deeply personal. It wasn’t always easy, but it was worth it. I am so incredibly proud of this story, and I hope you will all enjoy it. If not, well, sorry.

KENNEDY

There’s a fine line between love and hate, so fine that you don’t know you’ve lost balance until it’s too late.

I’m not sure exactly when I lost my balance, all I know is that he was to blame.

Dane Winters.

The boy I’d spent almost all of my life hating.

And now? I find myself on the other side of that very fine line…

PROL OGUE

Dane

16 Years Old

I STOOD TO the side, watching it all unfold in the wings. Jason’s voice grew louder, and attracted the attention of the students passing the hall. Kennedy looked around, her eyes growing frantic, her cheeks reddening in embarrassment. I played Varsity football with Jason, he was the all-star quarterback, and while I thought the guy was a complete tool, what I disliked most about him was his interest in Kennedy Monroe. He was a senior; she was a sophomore like me, and he could have his pick of any girl in the school – why did it have to be her?

“Jason, please, can we go somewhere private and talk about why you’re freaking out?” Kennedy’s voice was soft, and filled with desperation.

“Is it true?” Asked Jason. He towered over Kennedy’s small frame, and if I hadn’t orchestrated this whole thing, I would’ve told him to back the fuck off and leave her alone. But I couldn’t. Because she was the enemy.

For as long as I could remember, my father had warned me about the Monroe family. He told me to stay away from them, that their family had hated ours since our forefathers had founded this town. For a while, I listened, I stayed away, and I allowed my father’s apparent hatred for the Monroe family to become my own. It wasn’t until after we returned from this past summer, that it all changed.